by Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
When Mychal Wynn was in second grade, he failed math, science, social studies, language and vocabulary. His teacher doubted that he would ever make it out of elementary school, despite his early goal of going to college.
As a young black student in rural Alabama in the 1950s and ‘60s, the odds were against him. Wynn made it out of elementary school, but continued to struggle in high school. However, his work for his high school yearbook landed him in front of a black representative from Northeastern University, who put an application in his hands and sent him on his way. Wynn was accepted to Northeastern, and went to Boston the next year, where he turned himself around.
Wynn has drawn on his experiences to develop widely accepted strategies on black male achievement and will share his knowledge with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools community on Monday. Closing the minority achievement gap consistently tops the district’s list of goals, and district faculty and staff will participate in a workshop with Wynn prior to a community presentation.
“The [minority achievement gap] problem is not unique to North Carolina,†Wynn said. “It’s a common problem in many different areas.â€
Wynn believes that educators and families need to work together to develop strategies particular to the needs of young black males.
“You have to identify strategies as early as possible,†he said, adding that black male students usually don’t even think about college until 11th or 12th grade because many live in households without college graduates.
To encourage more black males to go to college, Wynn recommends that educators help young students understand the transition from each level to the next, starting in the primary grades.
Educators must also consider stereotypes when developing strategies, he added.
“Black males are dealing with societal images at every step along the way, which just adds another layer of stress and frustration,†he said. “All of these things are part of the dynamic of conceptualizing strategies.â€
In addition, Wynn said, parents, teachers and other educators need to stop pointing fingers at one another and start working together to strategically solve problems.
In school districts like Chapel Hill-Carrboro, where there are relatively larger numbers of high-performing students, educators should identify those students early and use them as role models for lower-performing students.
“You try to identify high-performing student cohorts during the primary grades,†he said. “What you do is you keep them together to provide an example and influence for other black males who might not be performing as well.
“Coaches use the best athletes to inspire the weaker athletes. The same thing can happen academically.â€
Wynn’s presentation will be held on Monday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Smith Middle School Auditorium.